Africa Investment Forum: African Development Bank appoints Societe Generale as Lead Advisor for innovative Synthetic Securitization Platform
The African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org) has appointed Societe Generale as Lead Advisor for the structuring and execution of its Multi-Originator Synthetic Securitization Platform (SST Platform).
The two entities signed a contract on November 26 during the Africa Investment Forum Market Days 2025 in Rabat (Morocco).
Joining three other transactions executed since 2018 under the Bank Group's successful Room to Run (R2R) initiative, the SST Platform will operate as a revolving, evergreen and scalable risk-transfer vehicle offering development finance institutions regulatory capital relief, improved balance sheet resilience, and a pathway to mobilize private investment at scale.
Societe Generale, an eminent partner owing to its extensive expertise in significant risk transfer (SRT) transactions, will play a lead role in the design and structuring of the platform ahead of its launch, while offering financial modeling and preparation of investor outreach materials.
The initial phase of the SST Platform targets a USD2 billion reference portfolio featuring diversified sectors, geographies, and risk profiles, and combining assets from the African Development Bank, Development Bank of Southern Africa and potentially other institutions. In the long-term, the SST Platform is expected to introduce harmonized issuance documentation, standardized credit assessment approaches, and a shared Special Purpose Vehicle structure to attract participation by additional African and international development finance institutions.
Pascale Olivié, Senior Advisor, Asset-Backed Solutions at Societe Generale said:
“Societe Generale is pleased to leverage its in-depth expertise in risk-transfer solutions to advise African Development Bank, DBSA and other prominent development institutions in establishing a groundbreaking multi-originator synthetic securitization platform. This marks a significant milestone in advancing sustainable finance and attracting private investment for inclusive growth across Africa.”
At the signing, Max Ndiaye, African Development Bank Senior Director for Syndications, Client Solutions and the Africa Investment Forum, said: “The SST Platform is expected to be a catalyst for expanding lending headroom for high-impact projects, positioning it as a cornerstone in Africa's efforts to scale financing solutions that drive sustainable growth across the continent.”
The agreement advances the Bank Group's Ten-Year Strategy and is also aligned to President Sidi Ould Tah's Four Cardinal Points, which prioritize accelerating private capital mobilization for Africa.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).Media Contact:
Olufemi Terry
African Development Bank Group
media@afdb.org
About the African Development Bank Group:
The African Development Bank Group is Africa's premier development finance institution. It comprises three distinct entities: the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Development Fund (ADF) and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). On the ground in 41 African countries with an external office in Japan, the Bank contributes to the economic development and the social progress of its 54 regional member states. For more information: www.AfDB.org
African Energy Chamber (AEC) Backs East Africa Court Ruling, Warns of Escalating Foreign Funded “Lawfare” Against African Energy Progress
Download logo
East Africa has entered a decisive moment in its energy journey. With the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) dismissing a long-running lawsuit aimed at stopping the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), the region has reaffirmed its commitment to advancing a strategically vital project designed to unlock jobs, supply chains and long-term energy security for Uganda and Tanzania.
The African Energy Chamber (AEC) strongly welcomes the ruling. For the Chamber, the court's decision reinforces a message it has championed for years: Africa must be allowed to build its own energy future without interference, intimidation or weaponized litigation funded from abroad. The judgement is not only a welcome affirmation of the rule of law in the region, but also a clear signal that Africa will not allow externally driven obstructionism to derail its development. After the five years of litigation, the EACJ upheld its earlier finding that the lawsuit brought by a consortium of civil society organizations had been filed outside the treaty's 60-day limitation period. With this ruling, the region's highest court has sent a strong message: legal processes must be respected, timelines matter and projects central to East Africa's industrialization cannot be held hostage indefinitely by procedural maneuvering.
The Chamber views the decision as a win for Uganda, Tanzania, TotalEnergies, CNOOC and every local community that stands to benefit from the jobs, investment and infrastructure linked to EACOP. The Chamber has been on the ground in Uganda, touring the so-called affected areas that activists frequently reference in campaigns abroad. What the Chamber witnessed firsthand contradicts many of the narratives being amplified in Western media. Communities are not calling for projects to be shut down; they are asking for progress, opportunity and the chance to benefit from their own natural resources. EACOP represents exactly that – a strategic pipeline that will deliver 210,000 barrels per day of Ugandan crude to the port of Tanga, unlocking value chains that can transform both economies.
“Ugandans support this project. They want jobs, investment and the opportunity to participate in an industrial future,” says NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, AEC. “This ruling reinforces what we have always maintained: development cannot be outsourced, delayed or derailed by external groups using African courts for ideological battles.”
The court's ruling arrives at a time when foreign funded “lawfare” is escalating across the continent. The same pattern witnessed in East Africa is already well documented in South Africa, where lawsuits filed by non-governmental organizations backed by Western foundations have successfully delayed offshore projects by TotalEnergies and Shell. The Western Cape High Court's 2025 decision to rescind the environmental authorization for Block 5/6/7, after years of litigation, is now a textbook example of how continuous legal challenges can paralyze investment. Shell's long-running Wild Coast case follows the same formula – repetitive appeals, procedural hurdles and campaigns designed to generate uncertainty rather than ensure compliance. These actions, while framed as community advocacy, are increasingly viewed by African stakeholders as systematic efforts to block African energy development while Europe and North America expand their own fossil fuel infrastructure.
Mozambique is facing similar obstacles. Litigation targeting financing for the Mozambique LNG project has escalated to multiple jurisdictions, with lawsuits filed in the United States to block a multibillion-dollar loan from the U.S. Exim Bank and criminal complaints in France alleging war-crimes complicity. While legitimate human rights oversight is necessary, the cumulative effect of these lawsuits is the prolonged stalling of Africa's largest LNG development – a project critical for regional electrification and long-term economic growth. Each delay reinforces the AEC's argument that Africa is being held to a double standard, expected to meet development needs without the very energy systems that powered the industrial growth of the West.
Against this backdrop, the EACJ ruling stands out as a reaffirmation that African institutions are capable, credible and committed to ensuring that transformative projects proceed within the bounds of law and due process. The Chamber commends Uganda and Tanzania for their steadfast leadership and congratulates TotalEnergies and CNOOC for maintaining discipline and long-term vision while navigating intense pressure from activist networks. The AEC maintains that EACOP is one of Africa's most important infrastructure projects – a pipeline that will enable value creation, export growth, expanded local content and revenue streams for decades to come.
“This ruling is a statement of confidence in African sovereignty and a rejection of efforts to dictate Africa's energy future from abroad. As the continent continues to grapple with deep energy poverty, it cannot afford to allow its development to be stalled by foreign funded litigation that offers no viable alternative for industrialization or economic upliftment. The AEC will continue supporting Uganda, Tanzania, TotalEnergies and all partners developing EACOP. The project is lawful, strategic and essential for East Africa's long-term prosperity,” concludes Ayuk.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.Measles deaths down 88% since 2000, but cases surge
Download logo
Global immunization efforts have led to an 88% drop in measles deaths between 2000 and 2024, according to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO). Nearly 59 million lives have been saved by the measles vaccine since 2000.
However, an estimated 95 000 people, mostly children younger than 5 years of age, died due to measles in 2024. While this is among the lowest annual tolls recorded since 2000, every death from a disease that could be prevented with a highly effective and low-cost vaccine is unacceptable.
Despite fewer deaths, measles cases are surging worldwide, with an estimated 11 million infections in 2024 – nearly 800 000 more than pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
“Measles is the world's most contagious virus, and these data show once again how it will exploit any gap in our collective defences against it,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Measles does not respect borders, but when every child in every community is vaccinated against it, costly outbreaks can be avoided, lives can be saved, and this disease can be eliminated from entire nations.”
Measles cases in 2024 increased by 86% in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region, 47% in the European Region, and 42% in South-East Asian Region compared with 2019. Notably, the African Region experienced a 40% decline in cases and 50% decline in deaths over this period, partly due to increasing immunization coverage.
While recent measles surges are occurring in countries and regions where children are less likely to die due to better nutrition and access to health care, those infected remain at risk of serious, lifelong complications such as blindness, pneumonia, and encephalitis (an infection causing brain swelling and potentially brain damage).
Immunization coverage insufficient to protect all communities
In 2024, an estimated 84% of children received their first dose of the measles vaccine, and only 76% received the second, according to WHO/UNICEF estimates. This is a slight improvement from the previous year, with 2 million more children immunized. According to WHO guidance, at least 95% coverage with two measles vaccine doses is required to stop transmission and protect communities from outbreaks.
More than 30 million children remained under-protected against measles in 2024. Three-quarters of them live in the African and Eastern Mediterranean regions, often in fragile, conflict-affected or vulnerable settings.
The Immunization Agenda 2030 (IA2030) Mid-Term Review, also released today, stresses that measles is often the first disease to resurge when vaccination coverage drops. Growing measles outbreaks are exposing weaknesses in immunization programmes and health systems globally, and threatening progress towards IA2030 targets, including measles elimination.
Rising number of outbreaks
In 2024, 59 countries reported large or disruptive measles outbreaks – nearly triple the number reported in 2021 and the highest since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. All regions except the Americas had at least one country experiencing a large outbreak in 2024. The situation changed in 2025 with numerous countries in the Americas battling outbreaks.
Efforts to scale up measles surveillance have improved WHO and countries' abilities to identify and respond to outbreaks, and for some countries to achieve elimination. In 2024, more than 760 laboratories participating in the Global Measles and Rubella Laboratory Network (GMRLN) tested over 500 000 samples, an increase of 27% from the previous year.
However, deep funding cuts affecting GMRLN and country immunization programmes are feared to widen immunity gaps and drive further outbreaks in the coming year. Securing sustainable domestic financing and new partners is now a critical challenge to advancing efforts toward a world free of measles.
Striving for a measles-free world
The world's elimination goal, as laid out in IA2030, remains a distant one. By the end of 2024, 81 countries (42%) had eliminated measles, only three additional countries since before the pandemic.
Additional progress has been made in 2025 with Pacific island countries and areas verified in September 2025, and Cabo Verde, Mauritius and Seychelles verified this month, becoming the first countries in the WHO African Region to be verified for measles elimination. This brings the total number of countries that have eliminated measles to 96.
The Region of the Americas regained measles elimination status in 2024 for the second time – the only region to ever be verified – but it lost the status again in November 2025 due to ongoing transmission in Canada.
Measles has resurged in recent years, even in high-income countries that once eliminated it, because immunization rates have dropped below the 95% threshold. Even when overall coverage is high nationally, pockets of unvaccinated communities with lower coverage rates can leave people at risk and result in outbreaks and ongoing transmission.
To achieve measles elimination, strong political commitment and sustained investment is needed to ensure all children receive two doses of the measles vaccine and surveillance systems can rapidly detect outbreaks. The IA2030 Mid-Term Review calls on countries and partners to strengthen routine immunization, surveillance and rapid outbreak response capabilities, and to deliver high-quality, high-coverage campaigns when routine immunization is not yet sufficient to protect every child.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Health Organization (WHO).Seminar to nationals residing in Angola
Download logo
Mr. Saleh Omar, Eritrea's Ambassador to the Republic of South Africa and Southern African countries, conducted a seminar for nationals residing in Luanda and its environs, Angola, on 22 November.
The seminar focused on the objective situation in the homeland, regional and global developments, the timely responsibility and role of nationals in national development programs, as well as the significance of strengthening communities.
Likewise, the YPFDJ organization in Switzerland conducted its congress on 22 November in Bern. The congress was attended by representatives of 11 sub-organizations of the YPFDJ, as well as representatives of youth organizations from Europe and national organizations in Switzerland.
Ms. Monaliza Tekeste, secretary of the central committee of the YPFDJ Europe branch, and Mr. Habtom Araya, head of finance of the organization, provided briefings focusing on the objectives and working procedures of the organization.
Mr. Alsheday Mesfun, acting head of the organization, also presented a two-year activity report of the organization.
The congress also elected a new executive committee for a two-year term.
In the same vein, the Board of the National Union of Eritrean Women in Europe conducted its annual regular meeting from 14 to 16 November in Frankfurt, Germany.
The event was attended by Mr. Yohannes Weldu, Chargé d'Affaires at the Eritrean Embassy in Germany, Mr. Kibreab Tekeste, Eritrea's Consul General, Mr. Teame Haile, head of Public and Community Affairs, as well as board members of the union from 10 European countries including Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, the UK, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland.
At the occasion, Ms. Negisti Tsegay, head of the Europe branch of the union, delivered an activity report as well as the future program.
The participants conducted extensive discussion on the report presented and expressed readiness and commitment for the implementation of the program for 2026.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea.